Comforter



J. DAVIS COMFORTER July zo, 1937.

Filed March 13, 1937 wd, 9 INVENTOR Patented Lduly 20, 1937 barren STAT 1 Claim.

This invention relates to devices such as comforters.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described having an improved lling which is not materially more expensive than an ordinary wool filling and which possesses substantially higher resilience than a wool filling and affords the heat retaining qualities of an al1-down filling.

Devices such as al1-down comforters arev expensive by reason of the cost of the down, and the considerable labor involved in manufacture. Such comforters are made by rst stitching a design through the case and leaving openings in the lines of stitching for' the insertion of a tube into different resulting sections of the case to blow down into the sections. Thus shifting of the down is prevented especially since the openings are finally closed. Also the possibility of down working through the minute openings formed by the stitches is avoided.

it has been known to provide a lling bat consisting of a mixture of wool and down, to thus reduce the cost of the comforter without wholly eliminating certain advantages of the down. Such a lling could be stitched to the case walls, so that the mode of manufacture was simplified. But as the down was caught in and restrained by the wool, there was relatively little resilience in the mass, and the heat retaining quality was not substantially greater than that of an all wool filling.

Accordingly I devised an article such as a comforter which shall combine the natural warmth and resilience of wool as a body forming element, with a relatively small. quantity of down arranged in concentrated form and in such manner as to be immediately and directly available in the use of the comforter, and without creeping of the down through the stitching-formed openings.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device such as a comforter having relatively few and simple parts and which is durable, reliable and efficient in use to a high degree.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claim, and ,illustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a device such as a comforter embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exempliflcation of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, lil denotes a device such as a comforter embodying the invention. The same may be constructed according to my patent application, Serial No. 116,682, filed December 19th, 1936, for Methods of making comforters, of which the present application is a division.

The comforter l@ may include a closed downprooic case li consisting of a suitable limp material such as a textile fabric. The case includes side walls l2 suitably marginally interconnected at i3. Within the case is a filling comprising a layer or pad i4 of a Wooly material, and which may desirably be in the nature of a bat of suitably commingled or relatively loosely intertwined Wooly fibers. For example, carded wool'in intermixed condition can be used to provide a bat of desired consistency, and with the requisite qualities of weight, resilience and heat retaining qualities. In any event, the bat is preferably as loose and fluffy in texture as possible. The bat may afford Wooly side faces and its edges l5 may be spaced inward somewhat of the seams E3.

Between the pad or bat lil and at least one side Wall l5 of the case is provided a layer it of a downy material. To render the comforter reversible, such layer l@ may be provided between each face of the pad lll and the adjacent case wall l2. Each layer i6 consists of free or loose downy material, such as down of the duck family; an-d the layers may each be substantially thinner than the pad lll. It is contemplated that the consistency of the layers it may be substantially the same as that which normally obtains in any all-down comforter.

Preferably, the downy layers i6 may be in direct contact with the Wooly surfaces of the pad It, whereby the latter serves somewhat to restrain possible shifting of the downy material.

At the lines of stitching I'I, the downy layers I6 are substantially subdivided into sections, with the case Walls I2 closely approaching the pad I4 Yinto virtual contact therewith. In this manner the comforter case is subdivided into'compartments, but the important significance of Athis Y construction is that the creeping of downy bers through the fine openings in the case walls which are formed in course of stitching is prevented.

vIn other Words, the'pad I4 serves to block entrance to said openingsyand any downy material` thereat tends to lie flat and in compressed condition. 'Ihe method by which this construction is accomplished may be best understood as follows: In general, an elongated sewing machine presser foot acts with considerable pressure on the comforter so as to work a case wall I2 to move aside the downy material that is in advance of the needlei A'suitable projection in general similar to the rpressure Vmay be provided for ailikeV purpose on the sewing machine table, so that both sides of the comforter may be similarly treated. Thus a satisfactory comforter can be made ac.- cording to the invention without permitting shifting of the downvmaterialat theV lines of stitching I'I. Y

It will be noted that since the pad edges I5 are spaced from the case edges at I 3, the intervening It will be understood that the pad I4 may conl sist of'wool intermixed with cotton, silk or theV like. In fact, the pad I4 may consist of any ma- Y terial which is soft and yielding. Preferably Y such material is brous and 'somewhat loose in texture forsuitably accommodating the down, with a minimum of crushing of the latter in actual use, particularly as a relatively small quantity of down is used. The downy material may vary in character, it being suicient that it shall be highly Viluilfy and hairy.V y

It will nowbe seen that I have provided a device which fullls the objects of the invention and is well adapted for practical use. I claim:V

A comforter, including a downproof case of a y limp material; a bat of loosely intertwined Wooly bers therein; a relatively thin layer of loose down between a'wall of the case and a side of the bat and in contact with the latter; and lines of quilting stitching through said case, said bat and said layer of down; the down layer being so thin at said lines of stitching, and the said case Vwall being so closely in contact with the fibers of the bat at said lines of stitching that the down at the lines of stitching is all entangled with the bat fibers sufliciently to vprevent escape of downY through the stitch holes.

Y JULIUS DAVIS. 

